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Michelangelo's David safe despite ankle fractures, officials say
Micro-fractures on lower part of statue's legs likely due to 19th-century move from Florence square to Accademia Gallery
David by Michelangelo at the Accademia Gallery
David by Michelangelo at the Accademia Gallery. Photograph: Alamy Florence's museum authority has played down the risk of Michelangelo's 500-year-old David statue falling down because of fractures in its ankles.
Read more here….
A masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture, Michelangelo's David, was created between 1501 and 1504 in the Italian City of Florence. Sculpted out of marble, standing at 17 feet tall, David is one of the most recognizable sculptures to date. Made out of marble provided by a small quarry in Carrara, a town in the Apuan Alps in northern Tuscany, the sculpture represented the Biblical hero David. The sole nature of the hero, David, came to symbolize the defense of Florentine Republic against bigger and more powerful city-states.
Front view of Michelangelo's David
The sculpture of David was finished on 25 January 1504, with plans of putting it on the roof of the cathedral. However, upon its completion the statue weighted more than six tons and there was little probability of raising the statue to the roof. A committee of 30 Florentine citizens was formed to decide where to place the enormous sculpture. After months of debating, it was finally decided that sculpture should be raised at the entrance to the Palazzo della Signorina, today known as the Palazzo Vecchio, the city's town hall. In June 1504 the sculpture was moved from Michelangelo's workshop into the Pizza della Signorina, taking four days to move a statue half a mile. After successfully putting the sculpture up, the sling and tree-stump support were gilded, while the figure received a gilded victory-garland.
Back view of the sculpture
There are many interpretations of Michelangelo's David posture. Different than most statues of its time, the statue of David is depicting the hero before the combat, rather than after it. Statues of its time depicted heroes standing victorious over the head of the Goliath, however Michelangelo depicted David in pre-combat stance, tense and ready for a combat. Although many art historians believe this is how Michelangelo wanted to present David, the descriptive plaque provided by the Uffizi Gallery, the gallery where the statues resides today, explains David is shown moments after his battle with Goliath. The statue's contrapposto gives the feeling that David is in motion, with intense lurk behind his fixed eyes looking into the distance.
David's eyes are looking towards Rome
Today, the statue of David resides at the Uffizi Gallery, where it was moved in 1875 to prevent further damage. Marble from which the statue was made had microscopic holes in it resulting in more damage being done by weather and outside factors. The first major cleaning the statue had from 1843 was from 2003 to 2004 where marble was cleaned and treated to prevent further damage. In hope to protect the statue even more, the proposal was made to insulate the statue from tourist's footsteps, all in hope to maintain the marble in the best shape possible. The statue itself is very well preserved, while the replica of the statue today resides where the original once was.
Replica of the statue located at the Piazza della Signorina
Wiki feels a little short. I added a few things that I found online. Might want to tinker a little.
Michelangelo's David safe despite ankle fractures, officials say
Micro-fractures on lower part of statue's legs likely due to 19th-century move from Florence square to Accademia GalleryDavid by Michelangelo at the Accademia Gallery. Photograph: Alamy
Florence's museum authority has played down the risk of Michelangelo's 500-year-old David statue falling down because of fractures in its ankles.
Read more here….
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/may/06/michelangelo-david-ankle-fractures-florence
Michelangelo's David
A masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture, Michelangelo's David, was created between 1501 and 1504 in the Italian City of Florence. Sculpted out of marble, standing at 17 feet tall, David is one of the most recognizable sculptures to date. Made out of marble provided by a small quarry in Carrara, a town in the Apuan Alps in northern Tuscany, the sculpture represented the Biblical hero David. The sole nature of the hero, David, came to symbolize the defense of Florentine Republic against bigger and more powerful city-states.
Front view of Michelangelo's David
The sculpture of David was finished on 25 January 1504, with plans of putting it on the roof of the cathedral. However, upon its completion the statue weighted more than six tons and there was little probability of raising the statue to the roof. A committee of 30 Florentine citizens was formed to decide where to place the enormous sculpture. After months of debating, it was finally decided that sculpture should be raised at the entrance to the Palazzo della Signorina, today known as the Palazzo Vecchio, the city's town hall. In June 1504 the sculpture was moved from Michelangelo's workshop into the Pizza della Signorina, taking four days to move a statue half a mile. After successfully putting the sculpture up, the sling and tree-stump support were gilded, while the figure received a gilded victory-garland.
Back view of the sculpture
There are many interpretations of Michelangelo's David posture. Different than most statues of its time, the statue of David is depicting the hero before the combat, rather than after it. Statues of its time depicted heroes standing victorious over the head of the Goliath, however Michelangelo depicted David in pre-combat stance, tense and ready for a combat. Although many art historians believe this is how Michelangelo wanted to present David, the descriptive plaque provided by the Uffizi Gallery, the gallery where the statues resides today, explains David is shown moments after his battle with Goliath. The statue's contrapposto gives the feeling that David is in motion, with intense lurk behind his fixed eyes looking into the distance.
David's eyes are looking towards Rome
Today, the statue of David resides at the Uffizi Gallery, where it was moved in 1875 to prevent further damage. Marble from which the statue was made had microscopic holes in it resulting in more damage being done by weather and outside factors. The first major cleaning the statue had from 1843 was from 2003 to 2004 where marble was cleaned and treated to prevent further damage. In hope to protect the statue even more, the proposal was made to insulate the statue from tourist's footsteps, all in hope to maintain the marble in the best shape possible. The statue itself is very well preserved, while the replica of the statue today resides where the original once was.
Replica of the statue located at the Piazza della Signorina
-Luka Djordjevic